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Antarctica's remote wildlife sanctuaries disturbed by human noise, study says
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New evidence shows that the noise of tiny motors and humming generators is reaching some of the continent's most fragile refuges. This discovery raises concerns that steady human noise is already stressing Antarctic wildlife.
According to recordings reveal that a single power unit over a mile away can pierce the natural hush of Ardley Island—an Antarctic sanctuary for seabirds and seals.
An international team of researchers from the University of the Republic of Uruguay (Udelar) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) embarked on two summer field campaigns in 2022 and 2023. Their mission was to measure the acoustic footprint of an energy generator stationed on the busy Fildes Peninsula.
One recorder was placed 900 feet (300 meters) from the machine; another was set up on Ardley Island itself, within Antarctic Specially Protected Area 150.
Antarctic seabirds struggle to communicate over machine noise
Spectral analysis identified the generator by its distinctive low-frequency "fingerprints" and helped rule out other sound sources such as helicopters and quad bikes. Each recorder captured five-minute clips every hour, day and night.
The team found that strong winds blowing from the land could reduce the noise, but during calm periods, the sound traveled clearly across sea ice and snow.
Over time, the generator's pulse became a steady background hum beneath the natural sounds of waves, wind, and bird calls.
Although Ardley Island hosts many animal species, the study focused on seabirds. The island is home to about five percent of all chinstrap penguins in the South Shetlands and large numbers of southern giant petrels. Both birds rely on short, clear calls.
The background noise may not completely block their calls, but it forces the birds to call louder or more often.
This extra effort drains their energy and can make nests easier for predators to find—or more exposed to cold.
The forms of human noise
Most studies on Antarctic noise have focused on ships disturbing whales at sea. However, terrestrial soundscapes have received far less attention—even though colonies of gentoo, chinstrap, and Adélie penguins rely on familiar sounds during the intense summer breeding season.
In penguin rookeries and seal haul-outs, vocal calls carry important messages about mating, feeding, and danger.
When mechanical noise overlaps those pitches, a parent may miss a chick's cry, or a nervous adult may leave the nest more often.
'Animals typically respond to noise exposure by altering their usual behavior, including changes in the type and frequency of vocalizations and reduced efficiency in foraging or responding to predators,' said co-author Martín Rocamora, a scientist at UPF. 'They may also develop hearing loss or increased levels of stress hormones.'
Field stations around the Fildes Peninsula use many engines—generators, trucks, boats, aircraft—to support science and logistics operations, all contributing to the growing acoustic disturbance.
Reducing human disruptions in Antarctic
Antarctica is never completely silent—storms, cracking ice, and animal colonies naturally create sound. But unnecessary human noise is avoidable.
Installing mufflers on machines, moving noisy equipment farther from bird nesting areas, and scheduling heavy-lift flights outside peak breeding times are all practical steps we can take now.
These small adjustments can help protect Antarctica's unique soundscape and support animals whose survival depends on being able to hear—and be heard.
While more research is needed to understand exactly how machine noise affects chick survival, early findings are clear: even one engine can be louder than an entire penguin colony. Protecting the soundscape of Antarctica may be just as important as protecting its ice and krill
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